Casey O’Neill is a farmer and owner of Happy Day Farms in Laytonville, Calif. The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of The Mendocino Voice. If you’d like to write your own column for The Mendocino Voice, send your idea to info@mendovoice.com.
I live in awe of the magic that plants create. From living soil, sun and water they generate themselves, building green flesh that breathes life into the world. Photosynthesis is amazing, an alchemy that we too often take for granted.
To shepherd the process of growth and abundance is my life’s work, holding deep joy and succor despite the long hours and hard physical labor. When I pay attention, plants teach me how to live in the right relationship to land and community, reminding me to slow down, to be present in the moment.
Brother Lito and I returned last night from a three-day sales trip, and it was stunning to see how much the farmscape had changed. In the daily grind of prepping, sowing, planting and harvesting, it can be hard to see the rapid changes, but a few days away makes for a stark difference. My garden walk last night brought that recurring sense of awe home to me with great force.
The wisteria is in full bloom now, as are the cherry trees. The daphne and narcissus have faded, but lilac and the last of the hyacinth are coming on. The scent of spring is full in the air, as is the sound of buzzing pollinators. The oak trees leafed out fully while we were gone, and the stunning fresh green floods my eyes with a vibrancy that stops me in my tracks. Amber and I eat our dinner on the porch, smelling the wisteria and reveling in the golden light as it catches the shimmering oak leaves, which seem to dance with the joys of spring in the caress of gentle breezes.
All of our plantings are thriving, roots thickening and sinking into the living soil to commune with earthworms and the myriad soil denizens with which they coexist. This web of life is a core tenet of how we make our own lives, yet we little grasp it beyond the most surface of understanding.
We have learned to tend it, to see that the life within the soil becomes more abundant over time as we nourish it with compost and living roots that push their exudates into the soil from the phytochemicals they synthesize from sunlight and oxygen. It’s such a deep mystery of nigh infinite complexity, and we bumble along hoping our actions will help and support and not hinder or destroy.
When we act with reverence for the process, we are more likely to have success and right action, and I remind myself of this as I write. We learn our lessons along the way; crops are lost because of water issues or improper soil management. Pests override production when systems are out of balance, so we watch, observe and do better next time. Farming is repetition of simple tasks that add up to be greater than the sum of their parts, and that’s where the magic happens.
Salad mixes, kale, collards, chard, bok choy, scallions, turnips, beets, radishes, cabbages and broccoli are all well down the runway to take flight into production. Summer squash and cucumbers are taxiing to the gate for planting in the next week, while tomatoes and peppers are still boarding slowly. Cannabis and basil head to the airport soon, and everyone else goes back to the start to begin again for their next successions.
There’s something about spring that gets in the blood, the excitement rising in my chest, the feeling of hope in a world of broken systems and men who make war for profit and ideology. I compost my despair that it may create fecundity and growth, a riot of joy and love to overwhelm hate and anger. As the seasons of my life tick by, I grow more deeply enthralled to the magic of the soil and the plants it grows, to the joys of feeding livestock and the nourishment of simple meals.
Above all, I relish the chance to be in relationship with family and community, to spread our branches out to touch and be touched as we dance through the winds of life. Getting out on the road and meeting so many people through sharing our cannabis has brought a new dimension to my life, one which I come to treasure and look forward to. Our travels come to be part of what I love about our efforts, connecting and sharing the good energy and love that we put into our work.
My soul is soothed and uplifted by the interactions, because as Ram Dass said, “We’re all just walking each other home.” Smiles, joy, fellowship, and as Grandpa said, “Let us be happy in our work.” As always, much love and great success to you on your journey!